The ChatterBox: Using Text Manipulation in an Entertaining Information Display

The ChatterBox is an attempt to make use of the electronic "buzz" that exists in a modern workplace: the endless stream of e-mails, web pages, and electronic documents which fills the local ether(-net). The ChatterBox “listens” to this noise, transforms and recombines the texts in various ways, and presents the results in a public place. The goal is to provide a subtle reflection of the local activities and provide inspiration for new, unexpected combinations and thoughts. With the ChatterBox, we have tried to create something in between a traditional application and a piece of art: an entertaining and inspiring resource in the workplace. This poses several interesting questions concerning human-computer interaction design, e.g., information and display design. In this paper, we present the ChatterBox, its current implementation and experiences of its use

Expressions: Towards a Design Practice of Slow Technology

As computer use increasingly influence everyday life, we need to complement our knowledge of the computer as a technology for creating fast and efficient tools, with other perspectives on information technology. We describe Slow Technology, technology aimed at promoting moments of reflection and mental rest. Taking the design programme of Slow Technology as our starting point, we have explored expressions of the acts of reading and writing information using computers in everyday life. A number of design examples including the Fan House, the Chest of Drawers, the Lamp Foot and the Fabric Door, have been created. The purpose with these examples has not been to create new information displays, interaction devices, artworks or products, but to create a basic collection of examples that can support systematic investigation of the aesthetics of computational technology as material for the design of everyday things. Experiences from the design and exhibition of these examples are presented as design leitmotifs for future work with Slow Technology